Big road games for Griz, Cats

The Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats’ schedules mirror each other. Last week, both teams needed bounce-back wins at home and they both got them. Now, both squads are in need of big roads wins in order to keep their season’s from fading away before November even begins.

For the No. 17 Grizzlies (3-1, 4-3), Saturday’s road trip to No. 13 Portland State (4-1, 6-1) may decide everything. Montana still has a good chance to win the Big Sky championship, but, a fourth loss would also severely diminish the Griz’ FCS playoffs hopes.

And, the Griz are playing a buzzsaw PSU team that has beaten two FBS teams, including Washington State, and is coming off a huge road win over Cal Poly. The resurgence of Vikings football has been fast and furious, especially since Bruce Barnum was elevated to head coach four weeks ago.

But, the resurgence is also based on talent. And PSU has lots of it to test and up-and-down Montana defense. Quarterback Alex Kuresa has been sensational in his first season as a starter, especially with his feet, as he’s rushed for 540 yards and five touchdowns. And that’s where PSU makes its money, on the ground. The Vikings are second in the Big Sky in rushing, with stars David Jones and Nate Tago sharing the running back duties. That could spell trouble for a UM defense that has been susceptible to the run this season, and with Kuresa being as dangerous a run threat as he is, the Griz will have their hands full.

However, UM appears to have had a resurgence too, and it’s on offense. Behind third-strong quarterback Makenna Simis, who tied a school record with six TD passes, UM exploded for 42 points in a dominating win in Missoula over UND last Saturday. Even with game one starter Brady Gustafson now cleared to play, head coach Bob Stitt will go with Simis again this week, and though PSU has a really good pass defense, the Vikings will be pressured by UM’s new-found passing attack.

"You go with the hot hand," Stitt said, referring to the school-record-tying six-touchdown outing turned in by Simis in last week's win over North Dakota. "We're not going to change things up and try and rush Brady back into things because we need to have him feeling good and feeling confident."

So, to say Saturday’s game, which is expected to be played in a heavy rainstorm is a big one, would be an understatement. A Griz win keeps all their goals alive, while a PSU win all but assures the Vikings a playoff berth.

Playoffs are also on the minds of the No. 18 Bobcats (2-2, 4-3) as they head to Grand Forks, North Dakota, for a showdown with UND (2-3, 4-4). MSU feels it must win out to make the playoffs, and after stomping lowly East Tennessee State in Bozeman last Saturday, the Cats now return to the realities of the Big Sky.

And the biggest reality MSU faces this week is, the Cats must stop UND running back John Santiago. So far this season, MSU has surrendered some huge rushing games to its opponents, and the Cats rank near the very bottom of the FCS in total defense. Now, MSU’s beleaguered defense must face Santiago, who just rushed for 180 yards against the Griz, and is leading the Big Sky with his 116.5 yards per game. Stopping him, and forcing a struggling UND offense to throw the ball is a must for the Bobcats Saturday.

If the Cats can accomplish that, they should walk out of Grand Forks with their first road win of the season. That’s because no one has proven they can stop MSU’s explosive offense. Dakota Prukop is one of the front runners for the Walter Peyton Award, and he and his high-powered MSU offense comes into Saturday’s game averaging 46 points and 533 yards of total offense per game. Stopping that machine is a tall order, even for a good UND defense.

So once again, the Bobcats will likely get their points and they’ll get their yards. But, Montana State’s season hinges on how its defense does, and it starts with this must-win game against UND.

Saturday’s game between the MSU and UND will kick off at 12 p.m. M.S.T. in Grand Forks, and is televised statewide on Cowles Media. The game between the Griz and Vikings will kick off at 3 p.m. M.S.T. and can also be seen on Cowles Media.